Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Poulton.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in South Carolina in a very musical family, and after many early years experimenting with music and crafts, I found Visual Art and dove in head first. I studied painting and drawing at Anderson University, SC, for 4 years and fell deeply in love with the process of art making. The beautiful landscapes of the blue ridge mountains inspired me artistically and spiritually, and the music remained an integral part of my community. I’ve always felt a strong desire to share my gift with my friends and peers, so I did many collaborations throughout my education and after, supporting my musical friends by helping them design album covers, poster designs, and merch designs. I moved to Nashville in 2021 and found an apprenticeship in 2023 at Kustom Thrills Riverside. This rounded out my painting education with new design skills, and since then I’ve been rocking and rolling creating all kinds of art and tattoos for friends and strangers alike!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a long and winding road, taking many artistic risks, biting off more than I could chew, and working multiple art jobs at a time for years, just to pay my bills and have food on the table that night. Some projects were major successes, some projects never made it to print, but I didn’t give up! I love experimenting and I’m relentless towards achieving whatever the project needs, so my process majorly included trial and error, but I always trust and know the final piece will come together! I’ve even painted guitar amps, and directly on a couple guitar bodies. Once I was painting a custom guitar body and I was so rushed for time that I used the wrong finish, and all the paint peeled off so I had to start over! I’m grateful for everyone who takes a chance on me. The fun never ends!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a fine artist, tattooer, and designer. I’m known for landscape paintings, traditional tattoos, poster design, album covers, custom gear painting and more! I’m proud of all the chances I get to collaborate with someone and make their vision come true, whether it’s a small tattoo, artwork for their home, or cover art for their new song. I’m an artist for the people, and I think that sets me apart. It’s all about sharing the love to me.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I’ve found many mentors throughout my career, from being curious and asking thousands of questions. People can tell if you’re serious about your goals and they will be excited to help you if they think you can handle it.
My tattoo mentor Darlin Cait has been extremely transformative especially since most of that involved completely starting my designs over! I’m grateful she never gave me the easy route, and showed me all that it takes to be a tattooer and to make strong designs. I worked for a year before apprenticeship was an option, and I made a fool of myself many times along the way. I’m grateful for it all even the really hard moments.
My other mentor in town is Jim Sherraden, who is a master printmaker from Hatch Show Print. I met him in college at a workshop when Nashville was a distant dreams for me and asked him hundreds of questions after all of the other students had left. When I moved here I assisted him on a couple of projects and we made a routine of checkin in with each other. He always makes sure I’m working hard enough and he has helped me in many pinches when I need fresh eyes and an honest opinion. Ask questions! Be a friend, show up! Be relentless in your goals.
Be sure your mentor is someone who you can actually look up to, because you will integrate more lessons from them than you may be aware of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ladygenevieve.art
- Instagram: Ladygenevieve.art
- Other: Ladygtattoos (Instagram)
Image Credits
Headshot by Cheyenne Goodman
